Iowa company fined $10K by Natural Resources Dept

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — A northern Iowa ethanol plant has been fined $10,000 by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources for an August fish kill.

The Mason City Globe Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/JrBTXp) that the department found Golden Grain Energy, of Mason City, responsible for the fish kill on the Cheslea Creek after discharging iron-laden cooling water that made its way into the creek.

The orange discharge was traced back to a tile outfall where the Golden Grain Energy facility releases cooling water.

The department ordered the company to pay the $10,000 penalty and $650 in wildlife restitution. The company also agreed to implement a facility-wide environmental management system.